Photo of protester in dress, police in riot gear hailed as 'powerful'

Protesters lock arms and shout at law enforcement in riot gear on July 9, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alton Sterling was shot by a police officer in front of the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge on July 5th, leading the Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation. less

Protesters lock arms and shout at law enforcement in riot gear on July 9, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alton Sterling was shot by a police officer in front of the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge on July ... more

Photo: Mark Wallheiser, Getty Images

Photo: Mark Wallheiser, Getty Images

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Protesters lock arms and shout at law enforcement in riot gear on July 9, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alton Sterling was shot by a police officer in front of the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge on July 5th, leading the Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation. less

Protesters lock arms and shout at law enforcement in riot gear on July 9, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alton Sterling was shot by a police officer in front of the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge on July ... more

Photo: Mark Wallheiser, Getty Images

Photo of protester in dress, police in riot gear hailed as 'powerful'

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During a week filled with protests, one photo has stood out and has been shared repeatedly on social media.

The photo is of an unnamed protester standing up to Baton Rouge police in riot gear during Saturday's protests in Louisiana. The image was taken outside the Baton Rouge Police Department, where protesters had gathered and blocked off a roadway that runs outside of the police station.

Reporter Shaun King with the New York Daily News shared the photo on Facebook, and it was shared more than 16,000 times in the 9 hours following. King labelled the image as "powerful" and commenters agreed, leaving comments applauding the woman's stoicism.

The Atlantic spoke with photographer Jonathan Bachman, who took the photo that was shared by King and others over the weekend. Bachman gave his account of the incident:

(The arrest) happened quickly, but I could tell that she wasn't going to move, and it seemed like she was making her stand. To me it seemed like: You're going to have to come and get me. And I just thought it seemed like this was a good place to get in position and make an image, just because she was there in her dress and you have two police officers in full riot gear.

It wasn't very violent. She didn't say anything. She didn't resist, and the police didn't drag her off.

Hundreds of people have been arrested in the US following fresh protests against the recent killings of two black men by police.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where 37-year-old Alton Sterling was shot dead by officers last Tuesday, armed Black Panther activists confronted the authorities. More than a hundred people were reportedly detained.
In St Paul, Minnesota, protesters forced the closure of a highway and hurled fireworks and other projectiles at police.
Anger in the city remains at boiling point over the killing of 32-year-old Philando Castile on Wednesday.
The situation in Dallas, where five white police officers were gunned down by a sniper on Thursday night, also remains tense.
Amid fresh security fears, officers and residents in the city are still trying to come to terms with the shootings.
Hundreds of people, including Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, continue to pay tribute to the five dead officers at a makeshift memorial outside the city’s police headquarters.

Media: Euronews News

Bachman, in his interview, said the photo showed that demonstrations were mostly "peaceful" when that image was taken. The scene apparently did not stay peaceful, as Baton Rouge police later said in a statement 102 protesters were arrested.

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Bachman told BuzzFeed News that he was just "happy" he was able to capture the moment.

"That was the first image I transferred [to Reuters] because I knew it was going to be an important photo," Bachman said. "You can take images of plenty of people getting arrested, but I think this one speaks more to the movement and what the demonstrators are trying to accomplish here in Baton Rouge."

The identity of the protester has not yet been confirmed by media outlets, however King stated in a tweet that the woman has been released from jail.